Carnage in Nagpur: A Frenetic Start to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Forget what you know about the slow burn of Test cricket. What unfolded in Nagpur wasn’t a war of attrition; it was a highlight reel on fast-forward, a chaotic and utterly brilliant spectacle of cricketing mayhem. Nineteen wickets fell in a single day’s play at one stage, leaving Australia on the ropes after a frenetic 19-wicket opening day of action that saw them battered, bewildered, and ultimately staring down the barrel of a crushing defeat. This was the trial by spin we were promised. This is Indian cricket on home soil.
Spin Twins Wreak Havoc in First Innings
It all began under a haze of optimism for the visitors. Pat Cummins called correctly at the toss, and on a pitch that looked tricky but not yet treacherous, Australia had the chance to lay down a marker. That optimism lasted about as long as a Mumbai minute. Mohammed Siraj, breathing fire, trapped Usman Khawaja with his very first ball. The door was kicked ajar, and then the spin twins, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, barged through it.
What followed was a masterclass. Jadeja, returning to the Test arena with a point to prove, was simply unplayable. His five-wicket haul was a symphony of drift, turn, and unerring accuracy that ripped the heart out of the Australian middle order. He left Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, their two best players of spin, looking utterly clueless. Ashwin, the ever-present puppet master, chipped in with three wickets of his own as Australia crumbled for a paltry 177.
Rohit Leads the Charge, But a Debutant Shines
Not on Rohit Sharma’s watch. The Indian skipper came out with clear intent, his sublime 56 setting a template for how to bat on this surface: with positive intent and decisive footwork. However, this pitch was a two-way street. Debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy showed he was a quick learner in a phenomenal display of skill and temperament. Murphy’s incredible 7/124 ran through the Indian lineup, ensuring the hosts wouldn’t run away with the game entirely.
For a moment, it seemed Australia had clawed their way back. But this is the new India, an India that bats deep. The crucial, game-defining partnership came from the all-round duo of Jadeja (70) and Axar Patel (84), whose gritty stand pushed India’s total to a formidable 400, extinguishing Australian hopes.
Utter Carnage: A Second Innings Collapse for the Ages
With a monumental deficit of 223, the Australian batsmen walked out for their second innings. They weren’t just facing the Indian spinners; they were facing the ghosts of the first innings, a crumbling pitch, and the deafening roar of the Nagpur crowd. The result was pure carnage.
Ashwin, with the new ball in hand, was a magician. He dismissed Khawaja again, then bamboozled David Warner, whose torrid time in India continues. Labuschagne, Smith, Renshaw – they came and went in a blur of spinning red leather and desperate, prodding bats. By the time the umpires called stumps on a day that felt like three rolled into one, Australia were reeling at 91 all out, demolished in just over a single session.
India won by an innings and 132 runs. The day didn’t just put Australia on the ropes; it delivered a knockout blow. This was a brutal, emphatic declaration that on Indian soil, the home team plays by a different set of rules.
